An ancient egg laid by a bird nearly 1,700 years ago has been discovered in England and is so well preserved that its contents are still scattered about. Archaeologists who examined the sample from the Roman period say they were “amazed” by its content.

The incredible egg may be the only discovery of its kind in the world. This is the oldest whole egg found from Roman times to date. Although ancient eggs with intact contents have been unearthed in other parts of the world, including those mummified in Egypt, these specimens were deliberately preserved for posterity.

This Roman-era egg survived for centuries by sheer luck. Its shell is now too fragile to be touched or even exposed to air. Scientists must handle this very carefully.

The discovery of the egg was first announced in 2019, but it wasn’t until recently that environmentalists scanned the sample and noticed that its insides had not washed out of the shell over time as they had expected.

“The egg turned out to be even more surprising,” lead archaeologist-restorer Dana Goodburn-Brough told Stephen Morris. From the Guardian. “There was still liquid inside, the yolk and white.”

According to the scan, there are no clear boundaries to distinguish yellow from white, indicating that they have mixed together over time. You may also see a small air bubble between the liquid and the crust.

Goodburn-Brown told Morris the investigation was the highlight of her 40-year career. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. The likelihood that an egg could travel this far without human intervention is extremely low. Three other eggs found in the same archaeological site did not reach the museum safely. They were accidentally broken by scientists during analysis, emitting the pungent, sulphurous odor you’d expect from 1,700-year-old rotten eggs.

The entire clutch of what are believed to be chicken eggs was unearthed in a water-filled pit in the south-eastern English town of Aylesbury between 2007 and 2016. Water appears to protect the eggs from severe erosion in the dry environment. Scientists suspect that this area, dating back to Roman times, was once used as a wishing well. Eggs may signify spiritual or religious offerings for good luck, fertility, or funeral ceremonies.

Leather shoes, tools, ceramics, coins and a basket were also found in the pit. After discovering the valuable contents of a surviving egg, researchers transported it to the Natural History Museum in London for further analysis. According to the BBC, the researcher actually retrieved the precious egg from the subway in what they described as a “scary” and “slightly hairy” experience. Now that it is safely stored, experts are trying to analyze the contents of the egg without breaking it.